Bergensheksen. Effekten av fordommer og stigma på moderne heksers identitet

Abstract

This master's thesis has investigated how prejudice and stigmatization shape the identity of contemporary witches within the Bergen area. The purpose has been to look at the inner processes of contemporary witches and their thoughts around prejudice, stigmatization, and identity. This has been explored through an analysis of data material from interviews that I have carried out with five informants. The method that has been used for the collection is a semi-structured interview. For the analysis, I have used Henri Tajfel and John Turner's social identity theory and Erving Goffman's Stigma theory, as well as other theorists who have further developed these, to study the different phenomena in my data material. What this research has revealed is that the modern witch identity in Bergen is diverse and individualized, and that it encounters stigmatization from different categories of people which leads to selective openness about the identity as a witch, a negative personal identity, and the expectation of stigmatization in future contexts.